American Airlines Tightens Rules On ‘Support Animals’

Major air carriers are beginning to tighten their rules when it comes to in-cabin flight companions and support animals.

I'm sure you've seen the video of the lady walking through the airport with her support peacock or the pig flying with its owner and the hedgehogs too. It does seem though that some people are using the support animal clause as an excuse to get their pet to fly with them in the cabin. There are legitimate reasons for having a support animal in the cabin for some people and the airline industry has faced some strange requests throughout the years.

If you plan on flying and have been flying with a support animal, American Airlines has made some changes to their policy and will no longer allow the following to be claimed as support animals within its cabins:

insects

hedgehogs

ferrets

spiders

snakes

rodents

goats

amphibians

sugar gliders

non-household birds

animals with tusks, horns or hooves

unclean animal or animal with odor

Service animals will still be permitted for trained animals assisting those with disabilities or perform a life function, according to their website.

The company has released a statement saying:

We support the rights of customers, from veterans to people with disabilities, with legitimate needs for a trained service or support animal. Unfortunately, untrained animals can lead to safety issues for our team, our customers and working dogs onboard our aircraft."

So if a passenger suffers from anxiety, depression or panic attacks, they will have to find another way to cope with this if they rely on one of the animals on the newly banned list. Other airlines could be adopting changes to their policies in regards to what animals will be allowed in to the cabin of their planes too.